As part of Columbus, Ohio’s “Smart Columbus” transportation initiative, Continental Corp. will implement the company’s intelligent intersection technology — which includes vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications (V2X) — at a selected intersection.

Continental’s intelligent intersection technology relies on sensors, sensor fusion algorithms that generate the environment model, and dedicated short-range communication units — both at the intersection and in the vehicle.

Continental first demonstrated this technology in October 2017 on a test track at the company’s development center in Brimley, Mich. The next steps include a broader test rollout and pilot implementation at the intersection in Columbus.

In June 2016, the city’s Smart Columbus initiative won a $40 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation after competing against 77 other cities in the Smart City Challenge. The goal of Smart Columbus is to create a safer, more accessible and more sustainable transportation system in Columbus.

Continental’s technology can detect road users within a 360-degree perimeter of an intersection and communicate the position and movement of these objects to all approaching vehicles that are equipped with V2X technology, according to Continental.

One focus of this technology is to protect vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists. Another emphasis is to support drivers in complex intersection scenarios — for example, preventing left-turning cars from running head-on into traffic that approaches behind an obstruction. Continental highlighted the technology’s progress earlier this month at the Consumer Electronics Show.

A study from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute concluded that thousands of crashes in the U.S. could be prevented with the use of intelligent intersection technology.

“Our solution is based on transferring and adapting vehicle-proven hardware and software solutions to an infrastructure application,” said Jeremy McClain, head of systems and technology chassis and safety for Continental North America. “Cities will be able to deploy this technology to increase safety for their citizens and visitors alike. In the longer term the technology can also serve to improve inner-city traffic flow, thereby reducing travel time and vehicle emissions.”